Labor unions have filed a lawsuit seeking collective bargaining rights for Connecticut National Guard members on active state duty ordered by the governor.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court. A 1978 federal law makes it a crime for members of the armed forces to join or attempt to form a labor organization. That includes the National Guard.
But Yale's Veteran Legal Services Clinic, which is representing the unions, says the statute only applies to service members when they are on active federal duty. The unions are asking a judge to rule the law doesn't apply to Guard members on state duty.
